Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Trifed, M/o Tribal Affairs to Expand Convergence Model in a big way to step up Tribal Incomes, Skills and Entrepreneurship
200 Projects to be taken up under Trifood/SFURTI Model
In a new convergence -based initiative, TRIFED of the M/o Tribal affairs has planned the transformation from the Van Dhan mode to the Tribal enterprise mode. One of the major actions being planned is the convergence of the Van Dhan Yojana with the MSP for MFP. A way of doing that will be through the convergence of the Van Dhan Yojana to the Enterprise Model: from processing to cluster development under SFURTI  and TRIFOOD. In this cluster-based model of development, a typical SFURTI unit will include 10 Van Dhan Kendras  and include 3000 households and encompass a tribal population of 15000 tribals. The TRIFOOD / SFURTI model converging both the MSP for MFP and the Van Dhan component, has already been launched in August in Raigad, Maharashtra and Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh by the Tribal affairs Minister, Shri Arjun Munda.
To speed up the new initiative, TRIFED organized a webinar on this topic on 25th November 2020, which saw participation from all State Nodal departments, State Implementing Agencies and other stakeholders such as members of Van Dhan Kendras. It was focused on the next phase of the successful Van Dhan and MSP model of tribal development which will focus on enterprise development. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Pravir Krishna, Managing Director, TRIFED said, “With the success of the Van Dhan and MSP schemes, it is time for TRIFED to think now what next? After much deliberation and learning, it has been decided to move beyond this current model to driving convergences to ensure higher level of income through livelihoods and micro enterprises. Phase II of Van Dhan will look at the enterprise model!”
The TRIFOOD / SFURTI model which has already been launched in August in Raigad, Maharashtra and Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh is being implemented by TRIFED in association with Ministry of Food Processing . TRIFOOD aims to enhance the income of tribals through better utilization of and value addition to the MFPs collected by the tribal forest gatherers. As a start, two Minor Forest Produce  processing units are being set up in Raigad, Maharashtra and Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh. In association with MoFPI, the units that will be set up under the Scheme for Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana, will procure the raw material from the Van Dhan Kendras in the state. The fully processed products will be sold across the country in Tribes India outlets, and franchisee stores. Moreover, TRIFED plans to identify and train tribal entrepreneurs who can also sell the products. It has been planned to take up 200 TRIFOOD projects across the country in the first phase with the plan to initiate 100 TRIFOOD projects immediately.
Systems and processes are being put in place across the country so that the procurement of MFPs become a round-the-year operation and double the present reach tribals as well as their incomes.
TRIFED plans to expand the Skills Development and Micro entrepreneurship programme, together with the Tribal Livelihoods program. It is planned to be an umbrella initiative riding on national level initiatives such as Atma Nirbhar Abhiyan, “Go Vocal for Local” and other programmes of Ministries. Pradhan Mantri Jan Jatiya Mission. will be centred on establishing a sustainable model to ensure fair monetary returns to tribals whose majority income is from Minor Forest Produce  collection. This will be achieved by promoting Self Help Group-based micro-enterprises and clustered VanDhan Producer Companies for primary processing, value addition, storage, packaging, transportation, branding, and marketing. Convergences with various Ministries and Departments and expert institutions such as Ministry of Rural Development , Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises , Ministry of Food Processing Industries , DMF, ICAR Ministry of AYUSH are being planned all with the aim of improving sustainable livelihoods and income opportunities for these tribals.
The scope of convergences will range across different aspects of development. One of the focus areas is tribal entrepreneurship development – through partnerships with institutions such as TISS, KISS- Bhubaneshwar, for the design and development of curriculum, digital contents to enhance the skills and technology of the tribal population. TRIFED is also in partnership with IIT Delhi for the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan , a flagship national programme of the Education Ministry of the Government of India. With this association, these tribal forest dwellers will get an exposure to newer processing technologies, product innovation, mentorship, transformational digital systems and handholding. Other convergence areas include cultivation and processing of medicinal plants; agriculture and horticulture, to name a few.
At the recently organized webinar, once the planned approach was outlined, the next steps that need to be carried out were listed. The immediate first step is the development of State plans that leverage convergence, especially with regard to SFURTI/ TRIFOOD Tertiary processing units, and ensure year-round income for the tribal population through cluster programmes for agriculture, horticulture, sericulture, floriculture and medicinal and aromatic plants.
The next part of the meeting focussed on a state-wise review of the existing implementations of the Van Dhan Kendras , MSP for MFP, TRIFOOD projects  and a discussion on the planned steps for the listed goals for the remaining financial year. With the successful implementation of these planned initiatives in the next year, TRIFED hopes for the complete transformation of the tribal ecosystem across the country through the large-scale tribal entrepreneurship model.
The ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce  through Minimum Support Price  & Development of Value Chain for MFP’ has come as a beacon of change and has impacted the tribal ecosystem as never before. A flagship scheme of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, it aims to provide remunerative and fair prices to tribal gatherers of forest produces, almost three times higher in case of several items of MFP than would be available to them from middle men, thereby substantially increasing their incomes. Another transformational initiative of TRIFED of M/o Tribal Affairs of setting up Van Dhan Kendras has emerged as a source of employment generation for tribal gatherers and forest dwellers and the home-bound tribal artisans. 1205 Tribal Enterprises spread across 18500 SHGs have been established to provide employment opportunities to lakhs of tribal gatherers. Together, these two initiatives offer a comprehensive development package for tribals promoting employment and incomes and entrepreneurship.